


The Deal

by stringworm_the_second



Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, I have no idea how to tag, Other, Reader-Insert, The Greed-ler - Freeform, might add more if people want more, the once-ler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25629727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stringworm_the_second/pseuds/stringworm_the_second
Summary: Y/N tries to get the Once-ler to stop chopping down the trees and he comes up with a deal instead.
Relationships: The Greed-ler (The Lorax)/You, The Once-ler/You
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> aight so, my friend and i were joking around which lead me to drawing softcore onceler nsfw and a clean fanfic or two

Business was booming for the old Once-ler, selling Thneeds and making more and more money by the second. He had just kicked up his feet on the desk and leaned back in his comically large chair when he heard loud yelling coming from the outside of his office. He listened to the annoying and ear-bleeding-causing voices of his brothers Chet and Brett. But upon further listening he heard an unknown voice. One unlike the Once-ler had ever heard before.

Just when he heard the person's voice, the large doors that lead into his office were flung open. A person stumbled into the office, the twins trying to hold them back, unsuccessfully, of course, he didn't expect any more of those two hooligans. His attention was drawn towards the person, making a couple of mental notes on their physical appearance and how even though they just had very amateurish wrestling match with two men at the same time, their hair was still holding up in a perfect ponytail. He put his feet back off the table and sat up straight. The person was panting and the two twins take each one of their arms. "We're sorry, boss!", "We'll get rid of her!", listening to their voices alone was torturous. Both of them looked to struggle once the person tried to get out of their grips. 

"You have to stop this madness! This can't continue on! You have no idea what you're doing!", they cried out while the Once-ler stood up and snapped his fingers. 

"Brett, Chet, let them be and leave my office. I would like to talk to them alone." His voice was low and somewhat raspy, the stranger just seemed more and more unnerved.

The twins let go of them and walked out of the office, shutting the doors behind them. Once-ler walked over to the person and started walking small circles around them. "Now, mister/miss/mx...?

"Y/N."

"Mister/miss/mx Y/N, right. What's the reason why you're making such a ruckus in my office?"

Clearly, Y/N fidgeted with their hands, but still tried to not make it obvious, which the Once-ler thought was just adorable. "Well! I think you have to stop the production of your Thneeds!", the tall man stopped dead in his tracks, but Y/N continued. "You're getting rid of the trees! Do you not see any problems with that?!"

"No", the young man leaned down to be of face level with Y/N, just now he realized how short they actually were. "No, I don't. I don't see why your small, insignificant self would even want to try to stop me, either." He chuckled low and went back behind his desk, sitting down and putting his head on his hands that were propped up on his desk.

At a small loss for words, Y/N just blurted out the first thing they could think of. "Well, maybe, you should get better glasses!" They regretted all of their choices that lead up to this point because they had to admit, that was one of, if not the most lamest comeback anyone's ever said.

Before they could continue arguing, the Once-ler cut them off with his chuckle. "How precious~ To think you could stop me? I admire your bravery, Y/N, I really do, but I'm not gonna stop. I don't think I have to."

"You gotta eventually! Don't you understand?! You cutting off our trees has fatal consequences! The animals who live in that forest won't have a place to live anymore! And we humans need the trees too! Take one step outside and you'll see that you can hardly breathe out there, and it's only getting worse."

The few seconds of silence between the two of them was almost deafening. The Once-ler spoke up again "So, you want me to stop, so that you could breathe? Why don't you just move to somewhere where I haven't started chopping down the trees?" 

"This isn't just about me-" cut off again. This time by a hearty laugh. "I understand what you're getting at, Y/N. It's just that I do not, care. The only things that matter to me are my Thneeds and my money, you get that?" He stood back up from his desk and slowly walked back up to the young person, examining their figure, every small little detail on them.

Y/N started to lose their chill, getting more and more nervous by the second. "This is gonna cause-" "long lasting damage to our environment, I've heard you, back to the point that I just made, though, I don't care."

After realizing they were fighting an already lost fight, Y/N lowered their head, balling their hands into fists while the Once-ler kept disrespecting their personal space. "You know, even with all the money in the world, I still don't-" This time it was the Once-lers time to get interrupted, by a fist flying his way, though. He caught it just before Y/N could actually land a hit on him, and lifted their hand up, way above their head. While twirling them around for a few seconds, he said "Careful, dear. We don't want this little thing to hurt anything precious now, do we?"

After finding their balance again, Y/N crossed their arms before their chest. "I do."

He smirked at them and took his top hat off, placing it on Y/N's head. "Aren't you just the cutest little unsuccessful protester in the entire world~" They growled in annoyance and shifted his hat as they looked back up at him. They did have to admit that without his top hat, he looked a lot let intimidating. 

"Don't call me cute." They pouted. "I have to get back to my family and tell them to pack their things." Y/N threw the hat onto the ground and turned around, walking towards the door. They stopped when they felt the Once-ler, holding onto their wrist, preventing them to leave.

"Why are you leaving so soon? The fun just started~" He pulled them close, up to his chest and gripped onto their hips. 

After staring up at the Once-ler for what felt like 5 minutes, Y/N started trying to get out of his grip. "Woah, okay. No. I don't know if I accidentally put out the vibe that I wanted this to happen, but I really didn't mean to. No fun started. Good day." They pushed themselves off of him and fixed their clothes.

"You know, even with all the money in the world, I still don't have a decent life partner."

"What about the Lorax?"

He scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. I mean like a significant other, potential spouse?"

"That's fascinating, but what do you want from me?" They crossed their arms again.

The Once-ler mirrored their position. "Let me make you a deal, hear me out. You stay with me for a few days, we'll see how this works out and I promise you to think about quitting, what do you say?"

At first, Y/N wanted to burst out laughing at his ridiculous offer, but managed to keep a straight face. This is the furthest any protester has come in this situation, but then again, his promise is no guarantee. After a minute or two of careful consideration, Y/N sighed. What did they have to lose. "Guess I'll have to take one for the team."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote like 3 paragraphs while being drunk aHa

After the agreement between their and the Once-ler, Y/N went back home to pack some things that they'd need if they weren't coming back home for a few days. They explained their situation to their family and friends. They all were rather understanding, but also puzzled. Their mother seemed to be the most excited though, going on and on about how the Once-ler is a powerful, wealthy and handsome man. Y/N told their mother that they weren't going back for his power, wealth or looks, but for the trees. 

They started their journey back to Once-ler's factory, they didn't know where else to meet him. On their way, they watched the machines that the Once-ler created chop down trees. One tree after the other, as if there's no tomorrow. It was impossible for them to watch and they swore to themselves that they'd do anything they could to make him stop before it was too late.

This time, instead of fighting their way through the doors, the twins Brett and Chet opened the doors for them. They thanked the two and walked into the office, shuddering slightly when they felt the wind hit her neck once the doors shut. After looking around the office for a second, they found the Once-ler standing on his balcony, looking out to, what used to be, the beautiful forest. You could still see a couple of trees sprinkled around the ground, but most of them were gone. 

Y/N put the bag with their stuff down next to his desk and walked over to the Once-ler. "Hello...?"

He jumped slightly and turned to face them. "Y/N! You're here. Didn't actually expect you to come again. Guess you do like me." 

"I really don't."

"Just a little bit?" "No."

"That's fair." He sighed and smiled slightly. It was only then that Y/N really noticed that the Once-ler didn't wear his obnoxiously large top hat, tacky blue glasses, his unnecessary gloves and his old-fashioned coat. It was just his shirt, tie, pants, suspenders and shoes, obviously. He actually looked like an approachable person for once.

Y/N's train of thought got interrupted by Once-ler's voice. "So, since you're here, what do we do now?" Dumbfounded by his question, Y/N just kinda glared at him. "I thought you'd have an idea..."

The Once-ler looked back out to the forest, his smile grew. "Look at this. I'm so proud of myself."

The shorter person raised an eyebrow and rolled their eyes. "For what? Chopping down the trees and destroying the environment?"

"No! For making my family proud!" He took their hands and held onto them as if he'd lose them any second. "Don't you get it? I tried for so long to get my family's love and support!"

"You're still contributing to the deforestation, though!" They weren't amused by his enthusiasm at all.

"I mean, I guess, but still! Do you realize how long it took me to get some kind of respect from them?" The Once-ler smiled brightly, still holding onto their hands. "They used to not even notice me at times, but now they work for me!"

The tall man seemed way too excited for his situation. "But at what cost, Oncie?" Y/N looked sympathetic and yet, sad, disappointed even. 

'Oncie' stopped everything he was doing. His smile fell and he let got of Y/Ns hands. "Don't call me that."

Confused, Y/N could barely think of a question. "Wha..."

"I said, do not call me that!" His voice grew louder and more irritated. He towered over Y/N, who tensed up, taking a step back. "Sorry..."

As if a switch was flipped, the Once-ler snapped right back into his happy self. "Well, since we're planning on spending lots of time together, maybe I should show you what I've got planned for my future. Come on!" He grabbed hold onto Y/N's wrist, dragging them to the desk. Grabbing hold of their shoulders, he pushed Y/N down to sit in his comically large chair, they always asked themselves what the point in that chair was. Y/N watched as the Once-ler started digging around in the cabinets of the desk. 

"Aha, there it is!" He laughed and shot back up. Maybe a little too fast because he ended up hitting the back of his head against the desk top a little too hard and hissing in pain. Even though they tried to not laugh, Y/N just had to let out a small giggle. "Careful there!" They smiled while raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on the back of his head. "Are you alright? No major brain damage?" After a small sigh, the Once-ler looked back at Y/N. He couldn't explain why, but the pain he felt just a second ago magically washed away. "Yeah, I'm alright, but look at this!"

Standing up straight, he unrolled some blue prints on the desk. Y/N couldn't believe their eyes. It looked like the factory he already had, but much, much bigger, with more rooms to do whatever in there. Did he live inside the factory? What's wrong with his... place now? "Why... do you need all this extra space?" They glanced back up at him, slightly frightened by the large smile on his face. "What do you mean? Everyone can use some extra space in their lives! I just want to improve mine even more!"

"But why can't you just be happy with what you have? You've got so much already. My family of four people live in a very small house! And soon you'll have even more than just a business..." Glancing down at the Once-ler's hand, Y/N put their hand on top of his with a warm, yet fake smile. They internally cringed at the words that left their mouth, but they swore to themselves, anything to help the trees.

It looked like he was just about to open his mouth to say something when, what Y/N assumed to be, his mother came into the room without any warning beforehand. "Oncie, dearie! You've got a business meeting in five minutes, you better not be too late!" She quickly turned around and left. After a sigh, the Once-ler started putting his clothes back on. His coat, gloves, glasses and lastly the top hat. Y/N hated all of these clothes a bit more than the last. 

After fixing his tie, the Once-ler put a hand on Y/N head and ruffled up their hair a little bit. "You can wait here if you want. Meetings only last about an hour. Or go home, I don't care." Everything about his behavior seemed strange to Y/N, at first he acted like a small excited child on Christmas day, then to an overly strict and frankly terrifying old man and now he's acting like he's mostly known, the overly successful businessman. Y/N couldn't figure him out. Even though, they wanted to go home, have a nice meal, maybe take a nap in their own bed, the trip from his factory to their town was long and tiring for a person with no car or anything, just their own two legs. So, they decided to wait the hour.


	3. Chapter 3

Turns out that that specific meeting lasted more than just an hour. Y/N was still in Once-ler's office, on his huge chair, which made Y/N question what he's compensating for with a chair that big. They were fighting the urge to fall asleep as they waited. 'Think of the trees', they kept thinking to themselves as their eyes shut every now and then just for them to shoot back open after a couple seconds. 

They immediately shot up when they heard a voice in front of them. "Once-ler?!" They yawned and frantically looked around.   
"Don't tell me I sound similar to him!"  
Y/N looked down at what they assumed to be the Lorax and leaned down slightly, they've only seen him on posters before. "The Lorax...? What are you doing here?"

"What am I-?! I think the real question is what are /you/ doing here!" The small creature poked Y/N in the forehead, hard enough for them to back away and rub their forehead.

"Me? Um... it's complicated. I guess I'm the Once-ler's partner? Not sure how to explain it..." Rubbing the back of their head, Y/N avoided all kinds of eye contact with the Lorax, who wordlessly stared at them. "You cannot tell me that that beanpole managed to get with someone! What do you even see in him?!"

After a sigh, Y/N tried to explain their situation to the orange creature. "Nothing! I... just burst into his office yesterday and we made a deal. If I stay with him for a while, he'd consider stopping his deforestation plans. I'm just trying to help, you know?"

"That's a horrible deal."

"I know!" They whined out loudly. "I don't think he's a bad guy though, maybe there's something salvageable still inside him. Or at least I hope so." Almost unwillingly, Y/N reached out and started twirling the Lorax' mustache around their finger, though he quickly pushed their hand away. "Don't touch my mustache."

After a few seconds of silence, the Lorax spoke up again, "I'm not sure what you're planning to do, kid, but you better try to bring that boy back to the right path. I've been trying for a while, but that seemed to motivate him even more."

Y/N smiled softly and nodded. "I'll try my best, don't worry." 

As if he'd been listening from the other side of the doors, the infamous Once-ler stepped back into the office. "Y/N! Lorax. I see you two have become acquaintanced, how lovely." He picked up the creature and set him down on the floor beside the desk as if he was a badly behaved chihuahua. 

He walked over to the bag that Y/N let fall onto the ground earlier and walked back up to them, extending his hand. "Come on, I'll show you where you can hang around while I'm gone. You can even spend the night there if you want to."

Sighing, they took his hand and stood up, forcing a smile on their face again. "Sure, sounds nice!" 

A smile spread across his cheeks as Y/N took his hand, though he could feel there was something off about them. "Let's go then." He lead them out of his office, quickly giving the Lorax a dirty look from across his shoulder. 

The hallway Y/N was lead through was long and dark, unnerving even. Were they really gonna stay in that building? Did they even have a choice? Well, technically, yes, but they wouldn't be able to forgive themselves if they just ran away.

The two stopped infront of a big door and the Once-ler opened it for Y/N. "Tell me if you want any more changes." Big eyed, Y/N walked into the absolutely massive room. It was ridiculously clean, not a single dust particle was in the air. The closet could hold a wardrobe 3× bigger than Y/N even owned. The bed could hold five people on it with plenty of room to spare and was covered with incredibly soft-looking pillows. Overwhelmed with excitement, Y/N smiled brightly at the Once-ler and pulled him into a tight hug, causing him to drop their bag on accident.

He didn't know where to put his hands and when Y/N noticed him technically standing in the doorway, practically frozen, they pulled away and took a step back. They lowered their head, staring down at their feet. "I'm sorry... I don't know what I was thinking..."

Suddenly, Y/N themselves was pulled into a hug, even tighter than the one before. They couldn't put their finger quite on it, but the Once-ler's hug seemed sad? Desperate. As if he had been waiting for a good hug for a while. Letting out a small sigh, they slowly hugged him back. It was weird to experience such a wealthy businessman's vulnerable side when all they've seen was him acting overly confident and cocky. As they were trying to figure out what to do, they glanced out of their window and they saw just what he had done. Y/N reminded themselves to put their and the Once-ler's feelings aside and only focus on what they were there for, the trees. What Y/N expected the least was for him to whisper, "Please don't leave..." in the most desperate tone you could ever imagine.

Y/N wasn't heartless, they squeezed the Once-ler tighter. "I'm not planning on leaving. Don't you worry."

After what felt like hours, their grips on each other loosened and the Once-ler straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Apologies. I should probably get going and let you get used to your new room, it's getting late anyway." He took Y/N's hand and kissed the back of it, but didn't let go just yet.

"Yeah... I'll see you tomorrow. Let's hope you're not too busy though!" They let out a soft laugh which made an equally as soft blush spread across the Once-ler's cheeks. "I'll see what I can do. You should know that I hate to keep you waiting. I'll come and get you at 11 am tomorrow, don't oversleep~" He finally let go of Y/N's hand and walked away. After shutting the door, Y/N let out a huge sigh and walked over to their new bed. They let themselves fall onto it fave first and turned around to lay on their back. 'What are you doing?', they asked themselves. 'You're supposed to stop him, not actually catch feeling for that guy. That annoyingly charming guy with his shrill, yet calming voice, him just being a little-' "... shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowkey forgot about this whoops


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a longer chapter to make up for my sudden disappearance. more info at the end, if anyone cares

Y/N was awoken by a loud knock on their door. "Hey, didn't I tell you to not oversleep?"  
They quickly jumped out of bed and started changing from their pajamas to a normal, everyday outfit, just some jeans and a layered collared shirt. After quickly brushing out their hair, they opened up their door. Apparently the Once-ler had lost his balance when they opened the door, seemed like he was leaning against it while waiting for Y/N. 

Looking at his outfit, Y/N couldn't help but roll their eyes. He didn't wear his usual outfit, no top hat, glasses or coat. It was somewhat casual, but still had that tacky green color. Even though they had to admit, the color   
green did suit him pretty well. 

"What are we doing today anyway?", they asked in a tired and slightly grumpy voice while rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. 

"I'm taking you out!" the Once-ler exclaimed and grabbed Y/N hand before they could even yawn. 

"Who? Me? Taking me out?" Y/N raised an eyebrow, they weren't really used to people talking them anywhere, really. "Where are we even going?" 

He started to walk through the small and narrow hallway, almost dragging Y/N behind him. "I'm taking you to a small town, go for a stroll, maybe grab something to eat." 

Wow, so much for 'taking me out', they thought to themselves. When he said that he would take them out, they immediately thought of what they saw in movies: fancy clothes, candlelight dinner at an expensive restaurant and everything just feels like the perfect night. But maybe a more casual 'date' was for the best. 

By the time they were done complaining to themselves, the two of them were already at the big entrance of the building. Y/N blinked and looked over at the Once-ler, who was holding the door open for them. "Um... thank you..." They cleared their throat and walked out first. The sight of the state of the once beautiful valley made them want to shed a tear, but they managed to not let anything spill. For the trees, they reminded themselves. They couldn't get their own little feelings get in the way. 

They waited outside together for a couple minutes, silently. 

"...What exactly are we waiting for?" 

"Oh, you didn't think we'd walk, did you?" The Once-ler scoffed and chuckled to himself. "No, no. We're waiting for the limousine to pick us up and driving us anywhere you want~" 

Nevermind the casual part, Y/N thought to themselves and sighed. "Do things really have to be so extravagant? Can't we just keep it simple? The next town isn't even that far away, maybe a 15 minute walk." 

"God, you're so extra, but fine. Whatever you wish." He pulled out what looked like an old flip phone and turned away from Y/N. They watched him mumble into it before he straightened his back and put the device back in his pocket. He turned back to Y/N and held his hand out. "Come on, we're walking then." 

They reluctantly took his hand, trying to ignore his dumb, goofy smile. They can't get distracted by the little things about him. How his fashion sense is just odd enough, it's good. How his voice is so annoyingly shrill, yet also calming and comforting in a weird sense. How even though he might be hurting everything around him, he's still a sweet guy underneath. What would Y/N do if they actually were to fall for him? Maybe they didn't even have to worry about it. Maybe, just maybe, one day he'll realize that he messed up himself and fix it without the two of them being- 

"So, what are your plans for the future?" 

Their thoughts were cut off by the Once-ler's oh so annoying voice and before they even realized, the two of them already started walking, hand in hand. 

"My plans? Well, first I was gonna finish up my studies, then probably take a year off to go find myself and travel. I've always wanted to see more of the world... But now that I'm with you, I'm not sure anymore..." 

The smile on his face dropped at the thought of Y/N giving up their dreams for him. "I see..." 

After multiple seconds of silence between the two, Y/N managed to break said silence. "What about you? What are your plans for the future?" 

"Honestly, I don't know either...", he answered defeated. 

"What do you mean, you don't know?" 

"Well, my plans at first were to just expanding my business, become wealthier and honestly more meaningless stuff like that... But now that I've met you and that I've got to know you better, I'm starting to overthink some things..." 

A small blush crept onto Y/N's face, but they quickly snapped out of their lovey-dovey trance. That's too good to be true. Too easy. There has to be something wrong, maybe he hit his head that morning and now can't think straight. 

"And if it really is so important to you, I could drop this whole thneed thing for a while or at least put someone else in charge, while we explore the world together!" 

There it was again. His smile, that almost too perfect smile that Y/N couldn't bear to look at. They turned their head away to both avoid his smile and also his loving gaze at them. 

"You wouldn't do that for me. You barely know me" was all they managed to say before they had to choke back what seemed like a small sob. Y/N didn't know a single person who would drop everything they worked hard on just to be with them. It never seemed realistic to Y/N. Why would anyone do that for them? 

The Once-ler sighed, looking back ahead to avoid tripping over or bumping into something and end up looking like a fool. "I guess I don't. Or at least not yet. But I'm sure we would have a great time together." 

Before Y/N managed to say another thing, the Once-ler beamed.  
"We're here! So, where do you wanna go to first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically the reason why i stopped updating was because I wasnt doing too well mentally. lots has happened and it's been overwhelming, especially lately, please be understanding! im still trying to figure lots of things out and also get back into writing. this is my first ever fanfic, in english too, which isnt my first language, and I've gotten so many nice comments from people which i deeply appreciate. also I'd be lying if i said that I didnt feel bad for making people wait so long for an update. anyway, im back and ill try my best to keep updating, as long as people want me to!! thank you for reading!!


	5. Chapter 5

Looking around the town, Y/N didn't really know much about it. They never spent lots of time outside of their hometown. Not really knowing how to respond, they decided to go with the safe answer, "do... you know if there's a cafe nearby?" 

"Of course I do! Come on, I can show you around some while we go there." 

And just like that, the both of them walked around the town, the Once-ler rambling a bit about random facts that Y/N didn't actually care about all too much. They did like to listen to his voice. Looking at the people they walked by, they all seemed to glare at and whisper about the two, and not in a good way. Y/N just assumed that they were wondering how they, just an average person, somehow got into the position of holding hands with the infamous Once-ler while he drags them around town. At that point, they were questioning themselves the same thing.

The Once-ler promptly stopped at a small cafe, without Y/N noticing at first and almost bumping into him. They stopped before they did, though and he let go of their hand to open the door for them with a goofy smile on his face. Avoiding eye contact, they murmured a small 'thank you' as they walked in and glanced around the small, but incredibly cozy looking cafe. Before they could even get a chance to decide where the two of them would sit, the Once-ler grabbed them by the hand. 

"Come on, let me show you my favorite spot here!" 

Before they could even protest, he dragged them across the cafe to a small circular table in a corner, by the window with two chairs. They sighed and pulled out their chair, sitting down. As he sat down, he looked slightly disappointed that they didn't give him the chance to make himself look like such a gentleman by pulling out the chair for them, but Y/N told themselves that it wasn't a huge deal, so what if they slightly hurt his fragile masculinity. 

After several seconds of silence, Y/N managed to finally start up a conversation. They often struggled with interacting with other people and generally tried to avoid unnecessary conversations. But now that they basically live with the Once-ler now, they gotta make it seem like they care about him at least a little bit. 

"So, you mentioned this was your favorite spot, have you been here before?" 

And just like that the slightly grumpy looking Once-ler turned into the human form of a golden retriever, personality wise. He started rambling abojt how he loved that town and how he used to spend so much time there before he had his idea of the thneed. 

Again, Y/N just zoned out and listened to his voice while looking out the window. Though, he abruptly stopped, which made Y/N jump just slightly. Did he say something? Why did he go all quiet all of a sudden? Did they do something wrong? Did he change his mind about them? What's happening? Oh God, it's all their fault, what were they thinking? Why were they- 

"Y/N? Are... you alright?" 

They snapped back into reality, confused. "I... yeah, sorry... I guess I zoned out for a second there..." 

With a comforting smile, he nodded. "That's alright! I just asked you what you wanted to order. We can't just sit here without actually ordering something." 

"I-um... can I maybe get a, uh... cappuccino...?" They just stammered out the first item that they could think of, not even looking at the menu. Good for them, they actually liked cappuccino. 

"Alright, I'll go order for us now. Sit tight!" He got up and turned away to walk towards the counter to order their drinks. Y/N watched him walk away and even though they were told to 'sit tight', they still decided they'd get up and rush to the bathroom. 

Once they were in a stall, they pressed themselves up against the wall. Anyone from an outside perspective would think that their 'date' is going alright, but Y/N's head was filled with every little mistake they made while being around the Once-ler. They didn't even know why they were panicking that much, they had no reason to care about what he thought of them. It's not like they actually liked him in any kind of way, not like they wanted to impress him, get his attention, his... 

After a solid 5 minutes of trying to calm themselves down, they left the stall and quickly splashed some cold water in their face. They walked out of the bathroom and back to the table, where the Once-ler sat, leaned back in his chair and twiddling his thumbs on the table. Once he saw Y/N, his face lit up again with a soft smile. 

"Excuse me..." Y/N cleared their throat as they sat down. "I just went into the bathroom for a second." 

"Oh, don't you worry about it. I totally didn't think that you just, y'know, got up and left without saying anything..." His smile dropped and he looked away from them with a slightly saddened expression. Their heart dropped and they impulsively took his hand, gently holding it. "Hey... I would never do that to you, don't ever think I would." His little smile returned and before he could say anything, a waitress walked up to their table with a small tray with two drinks on it. Y/N let go of his hand and leaned back slightly. 

"One black coffee for you, sir," she leaned down slightly to put the coffee infront of the Once-ler "and one cappuccino for you." She turned her head slightly as she put Y/N's drink infront of them. Before she stood back up straight, she quickly winked at Y/N, as if she knew what was going on between them. They blushed slightly and let out a small giggle. "Please enjoy." She walked away. 

"What was that all about?" Smiling, he ate the small biscuit that came with his coffee. 

"Nothing, don't worry about it." They giggled and glared at his drink. "Didn't think you'd be the black coffee kinda guy." 

"Yeah, well, you gotta somehow stay awake when being in charge of a huge factory." He chuckled to himself and took his first sip. 

"Doesn't it get exhausting though? Over time, I mean." 

"Of course it does, but I've started this business, I can't just give it all up." 

Sighing, Y/N took a sip of their cappuccino. "I guess not..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this started off as a joke but fuck now im committed to this lmao   
> anyway, happy holidays, everyone!!

**Author's Note:**

> idk if anyone wants more of this, maybe ill write more if people care enough. well see


End file.
